for all those who are confused with the concept of women ministering ...this is the proper teaching that i have gained ..so would like to share with u all too... #sami bhai , #sharoon bhai ..i hope this will clear my perspective .. stay blessed.. Ladies ~ Satan has “muddied the waters” when it comes to the women’s role in the church as well as in the home. In Bible times women were not always treated with love and respect and were actually abused, Jesus never condoned that! However today in our era the pendulum has swung to the other extreme; now women are leading and domineering over men. We sure have “come a long way baby!” but are we coming God’s way or Satan’s way? What does the Bible actually teach when it comes to women leading in the church? Has God changed His will with the times? Contrary to popular beliefs~ God does not ordain women to preach, or be Pastors and Elders in the church. There are many good women teachers that God indeed uses; however He will not bless anything that goes contrary to His clear will as defined in scripture. No matter how big a following woman has or how great an orator she may be… anything short of God’s plan is not His will. The woman’s place in the worship service is not to be that of teaching or leadership over men….but don’t take my word for it…check these scriptures out in your own Bible: When The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write concerning women he continually teaches us that our place in the worship service is not that of leadership… “Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” 1 Tim.2:11-12 I do realize that this is a continual bone of contention (as Satan would have it be) but there are clear teachings in scripture that in the worship service God has a specific role for men and a specific role for women. I think that the clearest to me is when God’s requirements for Elders / Overseers for the church are given He only lists them in the masculine sense. Here is the complete list of requirements that qualify one to be a Pastor in a church….1Ti 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desires a good work. 1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 1Ti 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 1Ti 3:4 One that rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 1Ti 3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 1Ti 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 1Ti 3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. And they are listed again in Tit 1:5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: Tit 1:6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. Tit 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; Tit 1:8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Tit 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. I am not interested in trying to make God’s Word say things that it doesn’t say. I am extremely happy and content with how God made women different from men. It’s a perfect design that I’m not threatened by. I love His plan and His limitations on me. Tit 2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becomes holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; Tit 2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, Tit 2:5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. This is a very important message for the church im tired hearing People say women must take a back seat in church, well i want to tell you all this their is only one HOLY SPIRIT and HE is available to a women the same as a man .Paul continues this revolution begun by Jesus. In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul sends personal greetings to 24 people in the latter part of the letter. These individuals are friends and co-workers who are dear to his heart. Of the 24 mentioned by name, 10 are women. Many of these obviously functioned in roles of leadership in the churches. One woman named Junia is specifically referred to as an apostle. In Romans 16:7 Paul says, Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles who also were in Christ before me. Junia is a feminine name and was universally recognized as a female apostle for the first several centuries of the church’s existence. The famous church father of the fifth century, John Chrysostom, exclaimed, Oh, how great is the devotion of this woman, that she should be even counted worthy of the appellation of apostle. Concerned by the presence of a female apostle, some have attempted to argue that the name should be translated Junias, which is male. There are insurmountable facts, however, that militate against this argument. First of all, without exception, all ancient Greek manuscripts have the feminine form of Junia, not Junias. Secondly, the female name Junia was quite common in the first century, whereas the male name, Junias, is unknown. Junias, therefore, is a hypothetical name. Thirdly, as mentioned above, Junia was universally recognized as a female apostle for the first several centuries of the church’s existence“It is hard to see any reason other than the translators’ bias against the possibility that a woman could be an apostle, “The assumption that the name must be male is a striking indictment of male presumption regarding the character and structure of earliest Christianity.” The idea of a female apostle is obviously too revolutionary for some modern exegetes. Nonetheless, the evidence is conclusive that Junia was a female apostle and recognized as such by Paul himself. Her example clearly demonstrates that women exercised apostolic leadership in the New Testament churches. But she is not alone, for a careful perusal of Scripture reveals other women who functioned in leadership roles in the New Testament. Paul Included Women in the Leadership Gifts of Ephesians 4:11 That women can serve as apostles is also made clear from Paul’s discussion of the leadership gifts (obviously not an exhaustive list) in Ephesians 4:7-12. The apostle heads this list of gifts followed by the prophet, the evangelist and the pastor and teacher (v. 11). He begins the discussion of these gifts by pointing to the risen Christ as the One who bestows these gifts. In verse 8, he says, When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. The Greek word translated men in this passage is the plural of anthropos, which is gender inclusive and refers to both men and women. If Paul had wanted to restrict these leadership gifts to men only, he could have used the gender specific andras, which is the plural Greek word for man as male. He purposely uses language that makes it clear that the risen Christ bestows these gifts on both men and women. Apostolic Christianity Includes Women Many other women in both the Old and New Testaments functioned in leadership roles. The list includes Deborah, Huldah and Miriam in the Old Testament. The list in the New Testament includes not only Mary Magdalene and Junia, but Phoebe, Priscilla and the women of Philippi who labored with Paul in the gospel (Phil. 4:3). Many commentators believe that Priscilla was actually the one with the leadership gift because Paul mentions her first, although it was customary to mention her husband, Aquila, first (Rom. 16:3-5). It should be noted that all of these women are presented in Scripture in a positive light. Nowhere is there the slightest hint that they were somehow functioning outside their proper roles. The Assemblies of God is, therefore, correct when, in its official position paper on women, it says; The instances of women filling leadership roles in the Bible should be taken as divinely approved pattern, not as exceptions to divine decrees. Even a limited number of women with Scripturally commended leadership roles affirms that God does indeed call women to spiritual leadership. The evidence is overwhelming that women functioned in leadership roles, including apostolic ministry, in the New Testament era. Since the New Testament church is the model, any church that limits the leadership gifts and callings of its female members cannot call itself apostolic or New Testament. It has veered from the norm of the New Testament. “But,” some will ask, “what about Paul’s call for female silence and submission in 1 Timothy 2:11-12 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35?” What About 1 Timothy 2:11-12 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35? First of all, these passages should never be used, as they commonly are, as a canon within the canon concerning the status of women in the church. The many passages that show women functioning in leadership should be given equal status with these two passages. Secondly, the evidence is overwhelming that in these two passages, Paul is addressing local, cultural situations that existed in Corinth and Ephesus. They are on the level of Paul’s admonition for believers to greet one another with a holy kiss and for women to wear a head covering when praying and prophesying. These passages were never meant to be guidelines for establishing a church order and excluding women from leadership roles in the church. Concluding Thoughts There is no question in my mind that this unholy marriage of the apostolic with maleness and power has weakened the church and damaged her influence in the modern world. This can be remedied, and we can recover our voice and influence if we will do two things. Number one, we must give up the prideful pursuits of power and return to the model of service that Jesus so clearly presented to His followers. Second, we must fully and equally embrace the gifts and callings of the female members of Christs body. Only then will the church be a fully functioning body through which the Spirit of the Lord will freely flow. Women be SPIRIT filled claim your honour with JESUS Amen. -Rory Braken Im quite OK with women ministering. Its scriptural. But for the sake of authority I think it is more in keeping with the Lords design that a man senior pastor. This doesnt limit a woman in any way. Its like a marriage. A wife has every right to opinion, influence and expression but for the sake or order in the family, the father and husband carries the greater responsibility. There are abusive husbands and fathers just as there are abusive pastors but that doesnt negate the Lords system of order. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church but that doesnt mean the wife has no authority or expression. Its the same in the church. Every member has permission to minister for for the sake of order the pastor provides protection and oversight for the members to minister. Its not the title that matters but the ministry. -Rick Zachary
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 11:05:49 +0000
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